Harmony Heights Retreats
Harmony Heights: Elevating the Strengths of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) and their Resource Family, Washington D.C.
Sponsoring Organization: LSS of the National Capital Area- City/State: Washington, D.C.
- Grant Program: Emerging Leader
- Grant Amount: $15,000
Leader Profile:
Ms. Brittany Livingston, who serves as the Director of Foster Care Services at Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) in Washington, D.C. Emerging Leader Grants are an investment in the development of leaders between the ages of 20-35 at Christian organizations who are leading new programs at the intersection of poverty, violence, and inequality.
Livingston receives $15,000 over two years with $10,000 supporting LSSNCA’s “Harmony Heights: Elevating the Strengths of the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) and their Resource Family” retreats and $5,000 supporting leadership development. This leadership development includes attendance at a Leadership Fundamentals Course through The Center for Creative Leadership; attendance at the Global Leadership Summit through satellite locations; and individualized leadership coaching.
Project Summary:
For over 40 years, LSSNCA has been creating loving and responsible foster homes for URMs who have fled war and persecution. These children have lost their families and their homes, and have no one to be reunited with. Research has shown that these children need a stable and supportive caregiver as they navigate U.S. culture and customs and begin to heal from their traumatic experiences. LSSNCA resource parents, or resource families, include foster parents, foster-to-adopt families, and extended family caregivers. The “Harmony Heights: Elevating the Strengths of the URM and their Resource Family” retreats will be focused on strengthening the family unit as one. The three-day retreats will include group sessions, sharing of cultural experiences, family team-building activities, and more to foster trust and communication amongst the families.
“Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) is honored to receive a We Raise Emerging Leader Grant,” said Livingston. “With this support, LSSNCA will launch Harmony Heights Camp for youth and their resource parents, providing a safe and encouraging space for them to grow and strengthen their bond. Creating new ways to meet the needs and desires of foster families, like LSSNCA does, is something that continues to excite me in my career and I look forward to working with the community on this new endeavor.”
Proposals for the Emerging Leader Grant Program are accepted twice a year. The next deadline is February 15, 2024 with grants awarded in April. For more information regarding grant requests, please visit the website at weraise.org/emergingleadergrants.
